The River House art gallery, located at Crevasse 22 along the Mississippi River in St. Bernard Parish, provides an indoor/outdoor exhibit space for local artists. And the gallery focuses on the beauty and culture of the region, along with environmental threats from living near the river.
outdoor art at the river house
The Mississippi River levee is the backdrop for an outdoor sculpture garden at the Crevasse 22 River House. A river buoy has been turned into a colorful metal sculpture. It’s a statement of the connection this region has to the mighty river. Visitors can walk through a ground-level maze of gravel that reminds me of the sediment flow that spreads across the river delta. Nearby, small half-domes of glass cover the ground and offer a glimpse of tiny micro-environments inside. “All kinds of things happen,” River House Director Jeanne Nathan explains. You never know what will grow inside, Nathan says, “little ant colonies, little special flowers that kind of like being in that little terrarium kind of setting.”
boats for livelyhoods and life saving
One of the outdoor sculptures features a pyramid of aluminum flatboats. The small boats are popular for fishing. But they serve the dual purpose of rescuing people from floodwaters.
Sidney Torres III of the Torres/Burns Trust, which owns the River House Art gallery, says, “I recognize the need to educate people from all over as to who we are in order for us to be able to preserve who we are down here.” The River House is located at Crevasse 22, the site of a natural levee breach that flooded St. Bernard Parish in 1922.
River house features regional art
The art on display inside the Crevasse 22 – River House is the work of New Orleans area artists. Some of the pieces highlight the area’s customs and culture. Hand-carved wood duck decoys fill an entire room. Below them on the floor is an old wooden pirogue.
contemporary sculptures
MaPo Kinnord has two large pottery vessels on display. She compares them to the improvisations of a musician. She says it allows the artist, “to free yourself from having any preconceived idea of what the next form is going to be. You let it flow.”
A tribute to species survival
Artist Pippin Frisbie-Calder has created tributes to the return of the whooping crane in Louisiana. One piece is a life-sized feathered costume worn by humans who helped to reintroduce the large birds into the Louisiana marsh. The costume helps to prevent humans from imprinting on the birds.
crevasse 22 – River house art featured on tv
open for special events
The Crevasse 22 – River House and its art exhibits are currently open by appointment only, and for special events in St. Bernard Parish. For more information, call (504) 218-4807.
Crevasse 22 – River House,
8114 Saro Ln, St Bernard, LA 70085
Av. 52 Pte. C.F.E., Cleotilde Torres, Puebla, Pue., Mexico
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